


Hope is Stupid

by briefoptimisticspaceaffair



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Awkward Romance, Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Fourth Year, M/M, Quidditch World Cup, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:28:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24613063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/briefoptimisticspaceaffair/pseuds/briefoptimisticspaceaffair
Summary: Saul Croaker is brought to Malfoy Manor he decides to trust Draco Malfoy with the last remaining time turner.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 15
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

Draco had stopped counting the days. It didn’t really matter any more, any hope was stupid. The Death Eaters seeped through every corner of Malfoy Manor. Draco couldn’t even look at the floors anymore without seeing them covered in blood, a screaming body dragged across them. Draco had seen too many people die, witch or muggle there was no difference in their agony. 

There was no point in counting the days. Draco doubted Hogwarts would even exist for him to return to at the end of the school holidays. Hogwarts seemed a lifetime away, a whole different universe. Hope was stupid. But Draco hoped. Bellatrix had become obsessed with a certain strain of Dark Magic and had torn apart the Manor’s library finding all the books she could. At first Draco put Bellatrix’s rampage down to another spot of madness. But then he saw the title of one of the books. Time Turners. Draco had vaguely heard of time turners, he remembered hearing that they had all been destroyed in some freak accident. Draco wondered what Bellatrix wanted with a time turner. 

There was a new prisoner in the dungeons. Draco took it upon himself to bring food to the prisoners. At first it was purely for Luna, she was a hostage so she wasn't going to be killed unless her family did something wrong. The other prisoners never lasted long. The new prisoner had a cut on his forehead, dried blood covered half of his face and made him seem deathlike. He stared at Draco unblinkingly. Draco offered him a towel to wipe off the blood along with a bowl of soup. 

“You don’t have to be frightened” Luna’s floaty voice piped up from her cell “he’s not going to hurt you” she told the new prisoner. The man ate his soup. Draco opened Luna’s cell with the key he had picked up outside the dungeons, he was very used to figuring out which twisted dull metal key opened up Luna’s cell. Draco silently passed Luna her soup and she gave him a friendly smile. It never ceased to surprise Draco, Luna’s kindness towards him. He didn’t deserve it.

“I brought you something,” Draco said, his voice scraping his unused throat. Bellatrix’s destruction of the Manor’s library unearthed a lot of forgotten books, one of which was a worn copy of the Quibbler. Luna’s father was an editor for the magazine.  
Luna lit up when Draco dug the magazine out of his jacket and handed it over to her.  
“Oh Draco!” Luna clutched the creased magazine smoothing a hand over the faded colors of its front page. “Thank you” she said and Draco pretended he didn’t notice the tears in her eyes. Draco gave Luna a broken smile and left. 

There were shuddering screams coming from the drawing room, or what used to be the drawing room. Draco didn’t want to go near it, he never wanted to see another human twisted to madness under the cruciatus curse. But the drawing room was the only way to his mother’s study; the other routes had long since been blocked off; the Manor was closing in it’s magic reacting to the dark magic within its walls.

It was the new prisoner screaming. Bellatrix let up the curse upon seeing Draco “Draco” she crooned. Draco couldn’t stop looking at the man, there was blood coming from his nose as he stared right back at Draco.  
“Draco” Bellatrix said again “you haven’t met my new pet have you?” Her mouth contorted in a horrible mimic of a smile “come come”. Bellatrix waved Draco into the drawing room, “meet Saul Croaker”.  
Draco edged further into the room from experience he knew that Bellatrix’s idea of a proper introduction was for Draco to join her in torturing her latest victim. She favoured Draco using the confundus curse. Draco favoured using a jelly legs spell. Jelly legs, he had learned helped numb any pain anyone felt in their legs.  
The door to Narcissa’s study opened “Draco” his mother called, interrupting Bellatrix from telling Draco to curse Saul Croaker. Draco went into his mother’s study. 

Hope was stupid. But Draco hoped. Saul Croaker was still alive. He was curled up in a corner of his cell, his ministry robes dark with blood but he was breathing. Draco opened his cell, taking a closer look at Saul Croaker, it looked like his legs were broken.  
“You-” Saul Croaker rasped startling Draco he quickly moved away from Saul Croaker, prisoners tended to have violent reactions to Draco being too close. “You put morphine in my soup” Saul Croaker managed to say, he was holding his side probably broken ribs or internal bleeding.  
Morphine was a muggle drug, and it was effective. Draco had learned that quickly. Draco nodded in response to Saul Croaker’s question Draco rolled a vial of morphine across the cell floor it bounced against Saul Croaker’s knee. “For the pain” Draco explained.  
“Thank you,” Saul Croaker said, quickly drinking the morphine and rolling the vial back to Draco. 

Draco was passing by the drawing room again when he overheard Bellatrix asking a question before shouting the cruciatus curse followed by screams. Bellatrix wanted information, curiosity getting the better of him Draco crept up to the drawing room’s door and listened. Bellatrix was torturing Saul Croaker again. “Tell me about the time turners!” Bellatrix demanded over an over. Draco remembered the book he had seen Bellatrix take from the Manor library, the title had been time turners. Saul Croaker screamed as Bellatrix threw another cruciatus curse at his silence. Draco left. 

The Manor’s library was half burnt, there was a hole in the wall blasting in dead leaves from the gardens. Draco trod over the destruction, broken shelves and ripped up books. On the low desk by the fireplace was about ten books that Bellatrix had not destroyed. Draco found the dark blue one he recalled Bellatrix taking interest in. Its title written in gold letters read Time Turner’s and rules of time by Saul Croaker. 

Draco flicked through ‘Just as the human mind cannot comprehend time, so it cannot comprehend the damage that will ensue if we presume to tamper with its laws.’ The opening paragraph read, Draco skimmed over the book and lingered over a sketch of a time turner that depicted a golden orb with a small hourglass in it’s centre. Draco read on. ‘As our investigations currently stand, the longest period that may be relived without the possibility of serious harm to the traveller or to time itself is around five hours’. 

Five hours Draco considered the small time frame of possibility. It was a pity that a time turner couldn’t take Draco back to say when Voldemort was born and then Draco could kill him. Draco pushed away the thought, he didn’t think he was capable of killing anyone baby or not. Draco wondered what Bellatrix wanted with a time turner.  
The book repeated constantly the dangers of time travel. Three members of the original team behind time turners had been killed in freak accidents during the process. Draco got the feeling that the book was leaving out a lot, and this book was the uncensored version.  
Most of the books that had been in the Manor’s library were rare copies, originals, unpublished or uncensored copies. Draco’s father had ties with the ministry and tended to get the latest book, it didn’t really surprise Draco that his father had a book on time turner’s. What surprised Draco was that Saul Croaker was an unspeakable and this fact had been written in the book. It was definitely the uncensored version. 

Hope was stupid, but Draco hoped. Potter and his friends had been caught. Granger and Weasly had been identified, but Potter, his face had been hit by a stinging charm. Bellatrix wanted Draco to identify Potter. Hope was stupid. “I can’t be sure,” Draco said. Bellatrix tortured Granger. Draco hadn’t had a chance to give her any soup. Draco knew how Bellatrix’s touture of mudbloods ended. Hope was stupid and Draco was stupid for hoping so he tried something stupid. Draco used a summoning house elf spell directed at Dobby, it was stupid, Dobby was free but Draco had to try. It worked. Draco let Potter take his wand, without it they wouldn’t be able to trace the magic Draco had just used. Hope was so stupid. Potter had broken out Luna as well, Draco let himself smile. 

Saul Croaker was coughing up blood when Draco came with dinner, soup. “Shit” Draco muttered examining the visible damage to Saul Croaker he wasn't going to last long. Draco no longer had a wand, he couldn’t perform any healing spells “I’m sorry” Draco said to Saul Croaker who gave Draco a grim smile, the smile of a man who knew he was going to die. And then Saul Croaker gave Draco coordinates “you're good at maths I take it” Saul Croaker asked and Draco nodded. “Well you don’t have to follow the coordinates but if you do make sure you’re alone” Saul Croaker weezed painfully.

“Why are you telling me?” Draco asked, why would the unspeakable give Draco, a death eater, coordinates to something that was probably a time turner when he had spent four days being tortured for the information. Saul Croaker made a noise that was probably supposed to be a laugh “I don’t know really, maybe it’s just hope”.  
“Hope is stupid” Draco refexly said Saul laughed some more.

“That it is,” he said” that it is” Saul Croaker feebly grabbed at Draco’s coat “listen closely” he huffed “time travel, it’s dangerous” so Draco was right the coordinates were for a time turner “If you turn back too far you disappear, so make sure you don’t turn back before your were born” Draco blinked taking in the information his heart beating quickly. “If you go past five hours, the time turner self destructs, it breaks, it’s useless so you only have one chance”. Draco nodded “go to the ministry” Saul said “find me and tell me, Madeline” he coughed painfully “I can do the rest”. Hope was stupid. There was a noise from the stairs so Draco left Saul Croaker in his cell. When Draco came back the following morning Saul Croaker’s cell was empty. 

Hogwarts was a grey shell. Draco wondered why Saul Croaker hid a time turner in the room of requirement. If this worked, Draco supposed he could ask Croaker in person. Draco used the borrowed wand to pinpoint the exact coordination Saul had given him. Draco pushed aside a stack of chairs and stood at the point his wand indicated correct. Draco wondered what he was supposed to do and was just starting to lose the shallow hope he had when a charm seemed to lift and a time turner appeared in his hand. Draco very much wanted to know what spell that was. 

Draco put on the time turner he wondered how long he should go back, third year? First year? Draco recalled his father mentioning Saul Croaker at the Quidditch World Cup in 1994. Draco decided that might be a good point, Draco started to spin the turner. There was a noise in the room, someone else was in here. Draco concentrated on getting the calculations right. There was a blast of magic and a pile of chairs crashed next to Draco throwing him off his concentration. The Time Turner spun. Draco cursed he’d lost count. Traveling by time turner was a little bit like traveling by floo. The Time Turner spun, Draco spun. Draco put both his hands around the golden orb to stop the spinning. Draco spun and spun and spun and then there was darkness. 

Draco panicked had he turned too far? Had he gone before his time? Draco woke with a start. His hands stung from the magic of the time turner. He vaguely recalled the time turner growing hot in his hands and then exploding. Where was Draco? When was Draco? Draco was lying in his bed at the manor. The ceiling was familiar enough. Draco slowly got up feeling disorientated, the book hadn’t said anything about changing location. Draco realised that he was no longer seventeen, he was smaller, he was younger, he was probably eleven. He had turned too far, and gone back to first year. How was Draco going to get an adult to listen to a child?


	2. Chapter 2

It was strange walking around in a child’s body, everything was bigger. The Manor was whole. There were no blood stains on the floors. Sunlight streamed in through the long French windows and into the hallway. The portraits still had people in them, Draco’s family members looked down on him as he wandered through his home. Draco came to a stop outside the drawing room. The door was unmarked and freshly polished Draco went in. Narcissa was sitting on her favorite armchair, Draco hadn’t seen it since a death eater had set it on fire. Draco’s mother looked up and smiled at him, her hair was perfect. Draco started to cry. 

Draco was very very nervous. The shop assistants fluttered around madame malkins and Draco sat waiting for Harry Potter to appear. Draco had spent the last week thinking about what he should do. Saul Croaker had said that it would be a one way trip because Draco would be going back too far and the time turner would be destroyed. Draco really hadn’t put much thought to using the time turner, his plan had been to go back to the World Cup in 1994 find Croaker and tell him ‘Madeline’ as he’d instructed. After that Draco had imagined the rest would be handled. Whatever had happened in the room of requirement had caused Draco to go back too far. 

So Draco’s plans changed, so far his plan involved waiting until the World Cup or maybe persuading his dad to take Draco along on his trips to the ministry and, like, breaking into Croaker’s office if he could find it. So far Draco was sticking to the first plan, which involved waiting. A measuring tape floated past Draco’s line of sight and then the door opened and a small bedraggled Harry Potter came nervously into the shop. Hope was stupid, but maybe not completely. 

Draco was staring, and it was properly rude but Draco didn’t care. Harry Potter sat very uncomfortably on the chair Madame Malkin directed him to. “Hi” Draco tried. He couldn't really remember what he said to Potter the first time around. 

“Hello” Harry quietly replied. Draco noticed how skinny Potter looked and the ill-fitting bad quality muggle clothes that he wore. Draco now knew what muggle clothes were meant to look like, and it was clear that Harry Potter did not look like a well looked after child.  
Draco vaguely recalled over hearing Granger complaining about Potter’s muggle family mistreating him. Granger was a muggle so she ought to know what muggles should and shouldn’t do. “I’m Harry,” Potter said and Draco automatically replied with his own first name. 

They sat in relative silence as the seamstress finished up and told them that they could go. Draco had an idea and asked a seamstress for a bit of paper and if he could borrow a pen.  
“Hey Harry,” he called after Potter, he turned around and looked inquisitively at Draco “you’re new to all this”. Draco said as he scribbled down a number he had memorised in sixth year but never had the strength to call “if you have any questions or just want some help or anything call this number”. Draco held out the scrap of paper with the number “it’s for a wizarding switch board, they’re there to help”.  
Potter looked confused but accepted the scrap of paper.  
“Oh, um, thank you” Potter looked at the numer and put it in his pocket.  
“You're welcome” Draco said, feeling very awkward “um, see you at Hogwarts” Draco gave Harry a weak wave and left to find his mother.

“See you!” Potter called after him and Draco did his best to not have a heart attack. What was he thinking? Saul Croaker’s time turner book had been crammed with time travelling warnings about consequences of changing things. Although the whole idea of Draco going back was so that Saul Croaker could change the future, that was for Saul Croaker to change not Draco Malfoy. Saul Croaker was an experienced time turner user, Draco was not. Harry Potter was supposed to hate Draco from day one. 

Everything was going as normal, Draco had said goodbye to his parents and got on the train, he was sitting with Greg and Vincent. Normal. Mille came into the compartment talking about rumors that The Harry Potter was going to Hogwarts this year. Draco was aware. Draco remembered that he was supposed to go find out if The Harry Potter was actually on the train. Draco didn’t want to change the time line so he reluctantly left the train carriage to locate Potter. 

It was when Draco was half way down the train that he remembered that Greg and Vincent were supposed to be with him. Oh well. A small bushy haired Granger bumped into Draco and asked if he’d seen a toad. “No sorry” Draco said and Granger huffed a thanks clutching her wand in her hand “why don’t you use a locator spell” Draco asked before he could stop himself.  
“A what spell?” Granger asked Draco bit his lip remembering that the first years had limited knowledge of spells. “I’ve read about it but..” Granger said and Draco was relieved, Draco silently reasoned to himself that he had a magical upbringing so it wouldn’t be odd if he knew a few spells. “What’s the toad’s name?” Draco asked, an accio spell would be quicker. He needed to not interact with Granger.  
“Trevor” Granger said looking at Draco eagerly, she was probably metally taking notes Draco flicked his wand “accio Trevor the toad”. A small green toad flew through the door of a compartment to Draco’s outstretched hand. “Wow! That’s amazing!” Granger gushed but Draco was distracted by the occupants of the compartment who had been surprised by the flying frog. It was Potter and Weasly. Draco metally cursed he had most likely just changed how the golden trio first met. “Draco!” Potter called waving at Draco “hi” Potter was smiling at Draco, Draco had made a mistake hadn’t he.


	3. Chapter 3

“Er do you want to join us?” Potter asked, pointing back into the train compartment. Poor Weasley was standing by Harry looking like he’d just eaten a lemon, Draco could sympathize. Draco felt as though he was having an out of body experience. If Potter had asked Draco that question six years ago, um well, the first time around, Draco probably would have puffed up with self importance. Right now however Draco would very much like to become one with the floor.  
“I’ve got to get Trevor here back to Neville,” Granger reluctantly said, saving Draco the trouble of somehow getting his face to work and bloody say something in response to Potter’s question.  
Draco nodded in agreement with Granger holding the toad up to emphasise Granger’s point. But before Draco could run away from Harry Potter Neville Longbottom appeared blubbering thanks for locating his toad. 

Draco ended up sitting between Longbottom and the train window in Potter’s train compartment. Hermione was leading the conversation about all the extra reading she had done in preparation for the lessons. Weasley was awkwardly crammed into the seat in front of Draco, Potter had tried to sit in front of him but Wealy had thrown himself into the seat. Probably thinking to defend The Harry Potter from the slimy Malfoy. Draco would feel offended but he didn’t have the energy. Draco was far too busy mentally screaming at the situation he had got himself into. 

Draco finally managed to shake what he had dubbed as the ‘train crew’ consisting of Potter, Weasly, Granger and Longbottom when the train rolled into Hogwarts. Draco found Greg and Vincent and he didn’t even mind when Pansey latched onto Draco an annoying habit that she had until third year. Everything went smoothly at least as far as Draco could remember nothing big had been changed. And then the Sorting Hat Ceremony began, Draco was called up and the hat was placed on his head. The hat hummed about and very nearly put Draco in Ravenclaw giving Draco a full on heart attack. “SLYTHERIN” the hat announced. Draco walked over to the Slytherin table on very shaky legs. 

Draco didn’t really remember much of every single day during his first year. Sure key moments stuck out, like the Troll and Gryffindor winning the house cup and also every single encounter he ever had with Harry Potter. Teasing Potter, challenging Potter to a duel, joint detention with Potter in the forbidden Forest, Potter becoming the Gryffindor seeker and nearly swallowing the snitch… Anyway. Re-doing things was easy but re-doing everything with Potter was a nightmare. Potter kept on smiling at Draco. Draco would be eating his breakfast and would look up to catch Potter’s eye. Draco always expected a glare from Potter, but instead he’d get a smile instead. Everytime it happened, and it happened a lot, Draco felt as though he’d just been run over by a herd of migrating centaurs. 

Draco kept on mentally panicking about changing too many things. Draco was walking through the corridors of Hogwarts trying not to panic when Hermione Granger of all people appeared out of nowhere frightening the life out of Draco“Hi Draco!” Hermione said, giving Draco a wave and a friendly smile. Draco clutched at his heart trying to get some air back into his lungs.  
“Don’t just jump out like that!” Draco protested, waving an arm at Hermione in an attempt to get her to back off. It didn’t work. Hermione dodged his arm frowning at Draco “Oh sorry, you okay?” Suddenly Draco found his vision filled with dark puffy hair as Hermione’s concerned face peered at him. 

This was one of the problems. The Gryffindor’s liked him. Longbottom and Granger assumed that Draco was now their friend (Potter as well but Draco liked to not think too much about that). Weasley was the only one who comfortingly threw dirty looks at Draco and muttered about the slimy slytherin. Draco kept on having dreams in which random passages from Saul Croaker’s book on time travelling would be slowly read emphasizing the fatalistic consequences of altering time. Draco needed to be mean to Potter, he needed to get Potter to hate him. Draco thought of about half a dozen mean things to say to Granger to upset her. Ranging from making fun of her hair to calling her a mudblood. The last one made Draco feel sick to the stomach a horribly vivid image of the word mudblood carved into Hermione’s arm by Bellatrix. 

“Are you okay?” Hermione repeated sounding concerned “you’ve gone all pale, I really am sorry for jumping out” she said.  
“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Draco said, waving Granger off. They had potions today with Draco’s godfather, Draco was looking forward to seeing Severus again. He hadn’t seen his godfather since… that horrible night when Dumbledore… Draco decided to concentrate on filling into the classroom with the rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years. Draco claimed a seat at the front of the class. Granger sat down next to him. Draco stared incredulously at the side of her head. What was happening? Draco vaguely noticed Pansy huffing and going to sit elsewhere. Granger was actually a very competent potions partner, if a bit bossy. But Draco actually found himself having fun getting Hermione to go off in tangents where she would quote paragraphs from the text book about different ingredients. She did seem a bit too stiff about following the instructions to the letter but that was okay it was after all only first year and Granger had Draco for a potions partner. Draco was gifted at potions and if things had originally gone better, he would have become an apprentice.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco desperately needed Potter to dislike him, having the Boy Who Lived on his side was unnerving. Potter kept on being so nice and honestly Draco’s heart couldn’t take it. Draco had sort of accepted that Granger and he had a truce (who was he kidding they were friends oh god). Granger insisted that Draco called her Hermione. Draco had tried to tell her that it was wizarding rules, which it sort of was but only really used in workplaces. “Honestly Draco no one else uses wizarding rules just call me Hermione”. The truce consisted of Draco calling Granger Hermione and they would do homework together in the Library because as Granger put it: “House rivalrys are dumb, and I need someone to debate runes with”. 

Potter had made a habit out of greeting Draco in the corridors between classes and every meal time at the entrance to the great hall. Draco desperately wanted to sneer at Potter and say something demeaning about his appearance. But Draco just couldn’t stomach saying anything like that. Besides Potter actually pulled off the windswept wizard look in school robes rather well. Weasley hated Draco, for stealing Potter’s attention and Pansy hated Hermione for stealing Draco’s attention. Ironically Weasley and Pansy had that in common with each other. Unfortunately this didn’t lead to a nice truce like Draco had with Hermione, it led to a fist fight in the trophy room. 

Draco had wanted to re-create challenging Harry to a duel in an attempt to get things back to how they originally were, Potter hating him. During their quidditch lesson Draco had done his best to be as arrogant as possible, tossing about Neville’s remembrall not that he minded unlike the first time. Longbottom had taken Draco’s teasing as a joke. Weasley acted like Draco had just tried to murder Longbottom and taken a dive at Draco causing Draco to swoop up on his broom. Potter followed Draco up asking if he was alright, because Potter was bloody perfect. Draco had got frustrated and tossed the remembrall and Potter had recreated the insane dive that got him into the Gryffindor quidditch team the first time around. 

After that Draco had quietly apologised to Neville where no one could see.  
Weasley had taken to glaring at Draco at every possible opportunity. Draco hadn’t really let himself think about everything. The time turner, Saul Croaker, the war that was going to happen. All the people that died. All the students that had died. Draco had been walking between lessons and nearly had a panic attack when he recognised one of the older Ravenclaw boys. Octavius Pepper. He was one of the very first people Draco had been made to watch die. Draco remembered his face twisted in agony, his screams echoing inside Draco’s head. Draco had to think, he had a long time to wait until he could find Saul Croaker. Draco was relying on half remembered bits of Croaker’s book on time travel to guide him. Most of the book had been reasons why you should not and could not alter time. 

Daco had picked out all the books on time travel from the library. The only ones left were the ones in the forbidden section which was frustrating. It was so inconvenient being an eleven year old boy. The books were unhelpful, most of them were different opinions on the most effective ways to use time turners for the five hours the turners allowed. The rest were guides for passing the exam you had to take in order to purchase a time turner. All of them had warnings written in large letters laying out the dangers of misusing time turners and the effects of altering time. 

It was breakfast and Draco was trying not to visibly let his brain melt into his sad bowl of cereal. Draco was making a great effort not to let his eyes go higher than shoulder level because he just knew that Pottor was waiting for him to look up and then Potter would smile at him. Draco just didn’t have it in him today. He’d been reading late into the night yesterday going over all the rules for time travel. Someone bumped into Draco making Draco slosh his cereal over the table and his sleeve. “Watch it Malfoy,” Weasley said over Draco’s shoulder. Draco turned around to stare incredulously at Weasley. What was Weasley trying to achieve? Draco had not been in his way that had been a very much on purpose shove. 

Slytherins at the table where murmuring in discontent shooting Weasley anger looks. Weasley was an idiot “-are you an idiot?” Draco found himself saying in disdain shaking out his wet sleeve and peering down his nose at Weasley. It was a trick Draco had learned from years of observation of Snape, he’d originally perfected it sometime around fourth year. Weasley bristled as though Draco had insulted his entire family, which he hadn’t. “A duel!” Weasley spat out his face turning an unflattering shade of pink. Draco blinked, he hadn’t expected that, before it had been Draco who had made the challenge. Then again Draco supposed it was Weasley who had accepted the challenge on behalf of Potter…

“-What?” Draco said in response to Weasley’s terribly childish attack.  
“I’m challenging you to a duel in the trophy room at eight tonight!” Weasley spluttered clearly trying to regain some ground. Draco had originally challenged Potter to a duel because Potter had offended him greatly by turning down his offer of friendship. The Weasley and Malfoy families had a long history of… problems. But Draco still felt a bit baffled as to why Weasley wanted to fight him.  
“Why?” Draco asked.  
“Because Harry is my best friend not yours!” Weasley angrily shouted before angrily walking away, his red hair practically streaming smoke. Draco quickly closed his mouth letting his jaw literally drop in public was unseemly. Draco shook his head, Weasley was very odd. Then again Draco had been very easily upset when he had originally been eleven.  
“Obviously, I’m not going to let you go alone” Hermione announced as she fell into step with Draco. It was seven pm and they had just finished doing their homework in the library.  
Draco sighed “no, obviously your coming with me” there was no way he could stop a determined Hermione Granger. Pansy was standing outside the trophy room. Draco had a bad feeling about this. “Pansy,” Draco greeted, Pansy straightened up from the wall and threw Hermione a glare. Draco briefly thought about just telling Pansy she had no chance with him, he liked boys. It had worked in third year, Pansy had stopped trying to get Draco to be her boyfriend and been the great friend she was. But first year was a little too soon and Draco didn’t want to upset an eleven year old Pansy. That would be messy.

The time charm Draco had chimed eight pm just as Weasley appeared along with Potter and Longbottom. Draco thought about what to say but then Potter hissed at Weasley “go on apologise”. Draco was confused, both Longbottom and Potter had their arms crossed and were staring at Weasley in disapproval. Weasley looked embarrassed; he glared at Draco and got an elbow in the ribs from Longbottom.   
“Okay, alright I’m sorry for shoving you at breakfast” Weasley said addressing the stone floor. Draco experienced the feeling of pure bewilderment Ronald Weasley had just apologised to him. The world was definitely going to end.   
“I still don’t like you!” Weasley cried glaring at Draco again “you can’t go around stealing other people’s friends!” Oh yes the Potter problem. Draco sneaked a glance at Potter, Potter smiled at Draco and Draco was reminded how dangerous Potter’s smile was for his heart. 

“Ron,” Potter was saying “that’s not how friendship works you can’t go around deciding for me-”  
Pansy abruptly cut Potter off pushing Hermione and yelling “don’t steal other people’s friends! Draco is my friend!” Hermione staggered slightly in surprise. Oh dear this is exactly what Draco had been dreading. “Harry is my friend!” Ron shouted and tried to jump at Draco but Longbottom pulled him back. Honestly why was Draco surrounded by overly dramatic kids. Hermione cried out as Pansy yanked at her hair, Draco immediately tried to get Pansy off Hermione. 

“Pansy stop it” Draco said but Pansy wasn't having it. Weasley shook Longbottom off and got a grip on the back of Draco’s robes. “Slimy Slytherin!” Weasley shouted . Potter started yelling for everyone to stop. Hermione bumped against a suit of armour as she struggled to get away from Pansy. The armour came crashing down loudly echoing through the corridor. Everyone froze. There was the sound of footsteps, Weasley whisper shouted “Filch!” Everyone scrambled to get out of sight. There was nowhere to hide, the trophy room was too obvious. Potter rushed to a small side door and grumbled about it being locked. Hermione whispered an unlocking spell and they all fell over one another hurrying to get out of the corridor. Pansy quickly shut the door. 

“That was terrifying,” Longbottom said with a sigh. There was a loud snuffling noise and something big shifted in the shadows. Longbottom turned around and shouted something about a massive dog. Suddenly everyone was rushing out of the small door and back into the corridor. “-It’s got three heads!” Weasley was saying just as McGonagall rounded the corner. McGonagall grave everyone a stern disapproving look  
“Why am I even surprised?” McGonagall muttered rubbing at her eyes “detention for all of you,” McGonagall sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco actually remembered this particular detention from first year. There had been a dead unicorn, a bit hard to forget. Hagrid was supervising the detention. They all shuffled after Hagrid heading towards the Forbidden Forest. Ron was complaining. Hermione was saying that the forest was too dangerous for first years, or any years for that matter, to go into the /forbidden/ forest. She was, of course, right. Draco had now accepted that Herminoe was always going to right. And life would be easier if he remembered that fact. 

They were right on the edge of the forest when Draco suddenly experienced a sharp pain. It was like his whole body was on fire. Draco screamed. This alarmed Harry who immediately grabbed Draco’s arm and asked if he was alright. Draco looked at his hand. His veins were glowing gold. /Weird/. He thought, and then everything was spinning like Draco was turning another time turner. 

Draco woke up in his bed at the manor. His veins weren’t glowing, and it didn’t feel like he was on fire. Draco’s hands were bigger than an eleven year old. Draco scrambled to look in the mirror. He looked about fourteen. Maybe fifteen. 

Draco paced up and down in his room. The time turner had exploded in his hands. It had been hot to the touch, like the magic had burnt out. Or was burning up. The burning sensation, the glowing veins, the uncontrolled time traveling. “Fuck”. Draco put his head in hands messing up his pale blond hair further. Fuck. 

Draco absentmindedly wondered if the weird friendships he had accidentally made, by traveling back to first year had stuck or not. Draco wondered if it had made any difference. A thought struck Draco. “Dobby,” Draco said, summoning the house elf bound to his family until second year when Harry freed him. Dobby appeared, his huge ears trembling. Draco frowned, Dobby had appeared at the manor when Harry, Hermione and Ron had been captured. Draco had gone out on a limb and called Dobby. Dobby’s ears trembled more violently. 

“Um, Dobby..” Draco swallowed trying to think of a decent way to phrase his question. “Has, did, did Harry Potter free you in second year?” Draco made a face. Dobby blinked his large watery eyes at Draco. There was silence. “..No?” Dobby replied tentatively twisting his hands nervously. Oh. Well. So things had changed. Draco grabbed his dressing gown. “Dobby,” Draco said, trying to sound magnanimous . “You are free”. Draco handed Dobby the dressing gown pushing it into Dobby’s shocked hands. Draco felt the magic bond disappear. Dobby gasped stuttering incoherently. Draco awkwardly patted Dobby’s shoulder. “I, um, I hope we can still be friends”. Draco made another face. It was a weird day today. Dobby clutched at the dressing gown sobbing loudly babbling yes of course. “Great”. Draco nodded. He needed to find Saul Croaker pronto before anything else happened. 

Draco had travelled to the day of the Quidditch World Cup in 1994. Maybe the time turner had understood his intended destination afterall. It just took him on a bit of a detour. And exploded. And had done something to Draco, making him glow and stuff. Okay. Draco could work with this. He would be seeing Saul Croaker soon. 

His father had only raised a cool pale eyebrow upon seeing Dobby walk past. Wearing Draco’s dressing gown. It was too big for the elf and dragged behind him. Lucius Malfoy held out the portkey and Draco took hold. They traveled smoothly to the Malfoy tent just by the quidditch pitch. Prime location. Lucius put the portkey away and marched off. Draco hoped it wasn’t to a death eater meeting. 

The tent was obviously a magic tent and didn’t really look like a tent. More like a fancy small house. Draco went to the library and grabbed a random book on birds off the shelf. He settled into an armchair. He had a while to wait until the quidditch match where his father would introduce Draco to his connections. And Draco would meet Saul Croaker. 

Draco had got to the second page, firebirds sounded very cool, when there was a commotion at the front door. It sounded like a group of people loudly arguing. It sounded like Hermione telling Ron to shut up. There was a sound which might politely be interpreted as a knock. Draco approached the door with caution. Pansy yelled through the door, telling him to get up off his arse and let them in before Neville set someone on fire. Neville protested saying it had been only one time in potions. Draco opened the door. 

There was a rush of people walking inside. Draco counted several red heads. Weasleys. In the Malfoy tent. His father was going to have an apoplexy. Ginny Weasly poked Draco sharply in the ribs as she went past. Luna gave Draco a cork necklace and a kiss on the cheek. Seamus Finnigan asked if he was okay, apparently he looked a bit peaky. The flow of people stopped so Draco shut the door. There were fireworks going off in the middle of the lounge. Draco thanked Merlin his father had already left. 

George Weasley, Fred Weasly, Bill Weasly, Charlie Weasly, Ron Weasly, Ginny Weasly. Merlin’s beard Draco practically had the whole bloody clan in his living room. Hermione, Luna, Pansy, Greg, Vincent, Milly. Neville, Harry, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas. Bloody hell. Had Draco become /popular/?


	6. Chapter 6

Draco needed to sit down. And maybe drink a crate of fire whiskey. But also, Draco wanted to join in the absolute chaos happening right in front of him. It looked pretty fun. Absolute chaos. But fun. “Oi posh boy! You playing or what?” Ginny Weasly yelled at Draco from where she was flying around the ceiling. Luna handed Draco a broom. Well. Why the hell not. Draco flew up and joined them. Luna released the snitch. 

George or Fred kicked a bludger into the wall leaving a significant dent. Draco winced. “We should take this outside,” he muttered. 

“We’re not allowed to play quidditch over the campsite, remember?” Harry said clearly having heard Draco. Harry grinned wolfishly at Draco. Ah shit, the snitch was by his head wasn’t it. Harry always grinned like that when he was about to get the snitch. Draco didn’t fancy losing, especially the first game head played since. Sixth year? No fifth? Well, in a long time. Harry had drifted quite close to Draco, so it was easy for Dravo to reach out and shove Harry back. Harry shouted in surprise and had to grip onto his broom so he didn’t fall. Draco quickly scanned the room and saw the snitch had flown off to hover over the front door. He went for it.

Physical contact. Against the rules. But they weren’t playing by the rules. At least Draco had assumed so after Seamus lit Greg’s broom sticks on fire. And Ginny had pelted her brother, Bill with water charms. Poor man was soaked. Hermione suddenly appeared to the right and hit Draco on the head with a cushion she had picked up from the sofa. “Oof!” Draco nearly fell off his broom. 

“HA! Suckers!” Neville crowed in victory. Draco blinked away the vague dizziness and looked up to see Neville holding up the snitch in glee. Definitely not playing by the rules. Draco laughed inexplicably joyfull. Whatever he had changed, he certainly didn’t regret it. 

Now that everyone had used up all their energy in the non-rule abiding game, things were quieter. Somewhere in the tent something fell and smashed loudly to the floor. There was a slight pause in the conversation before Greg shrugged and carried on the debate he and Neville were having about dragon snaps. Who would have thought that Greg was as mad as Neville about botany? Draco really hoped his father wouldn’t blink an eye at the mess the tent had become. 

“Come on Draco,” Harry said, slumping further into the sofa under Draco’s arm. “Stop looking so sour. We didn’t even break that much this time!” This time. What on earth had happened / last time/? The chandelier made a loud creaking noise, then it came crashing to the ground. 

There was an awkward silence. “Oops?” Harry said sheepishly, he at least had the decency to look apologetic. 

“Right!” Bill Weasley declared slapping his thighs and standing up. “We are relocating to the outdoor pub before Draco bursts a vein”. And with that Bill and Charlie got everyone to file out of the tent. Harry, Herminoe and Ron zoomed in on Draco and basically carried him out of the tent. Obviously they were well aware that Draco fully intended on staying and cleaning things up. “Wait, stop, seriously! The bloody chandelier-!” 

“Shut up Malfoy. We’re buying you a butterbeer”. Ron said fondly. Merlin, /Ron said bloody fondly/. 

Draco did indeed get a butterbeer shoved under his despondent nose at the outside pub. Charlie Weasley slid up next to Draco and snuck Draco a much needed fire whiskey. Luna had produced a set of cards and was currently stealing everyone's gallons by being hideously good at gin rummy. Hermione was determined to beat Luna, her hair had become an untempered storm. Draco was pretty sure she had a spoon stuck in there. Pansy and Ginny weren’t playing, obviously having been burnt too many times by Luna. They were currently arm wrestling. Pansy's face was nearly as red as Ginny’s hair. 

A bowl of honey nuts appeared at Draco’s elbow, along with Harry. Harry was grinning wolfishly at Draco again. “What?” Draco asked, grabbing a few nuts. “Is there a snitch behind me?” Harry laughed at that, and Draco couldn’t help the thrill that went through him. 

“No”. Harry said “You are playing the next round”. Harry said, very much not asking, nodding at the ring currently getting murdered by Luna’s superior skills. 

“Oh no” Draco finished his butterbeer. “I am not going up against Luna. She’d end up owning the manor. I don’t even own the manor”. Draco shook his head. Luna won again, taking what looked like the Weasley twins life savings off the table. Harry giggled, Draco might have twitched a little and dropped the butterbeer glass. It was fine nobody noticed. And the barman had already magiced the mess away. Draco had never heard Harry giggle before. 

Draco saw Blaise raise an eyebrow at him from across the grass. Okay so someone had noticed. Harry seemed to take Draco’s definite ‘no’ as a definite ‘yes’ and dragged Draco into the card game. Harry then proceeded to win the game. The cards had been dealt and the game had gone round in the circle. Then it was Harry’s turn and he put down all his cards. Four nines, King, Queen and Jack of diamonds. How the bloody fuck. 

Draco let himself be dragged into another game, and another, and another. Just when he was seriously worrying about ending up betting off Malfoy Manor. Percy Weasley was telling everyone the match would be starting. Draco realised it had got dark. And then Draco remembered he was supposed to meet Saul Croaker with his father. His father who Draco was very much not with. “Shit”.


End file.
